johnporcaro: mktg@large

Your Kid Could Create the next Halo Game

Well, maybe not the next "Halo," but he or she could be well on their way to creating a fun PC or Xbox 360 game with Kodu, a free set of fun tools from Microsoft.  And for the competitive kids out there, there's real money up for grabs! 

From readwriteweb:

Microsoft is releasing a new version of its Kodu Game Lab today, and it's also kicking off its Kodu Cup Competition for students ages 9 to 17. The competition asks kids to design their own video game using Kodu, and the winners will compete for a $5000 prize for themselves, along with $5000 for their school and a trip to the worldwide finals of Microsoft's Imagine Cup competition.

Check out this short video with a brief introduction.  Then download the tools, and get playing!

 

Emily and the PhartEphant

Maybe it’s just that I’m such a “guy,” or maybe it’s that these toys are so dang cute…  But when I heard about Fierce Fun Toys, and their line of stuffed animals that have a “sense of humor,” I had to find out more.

Angela Larson, Chief Story Teller at Fierce Fun Toys, sent Norman PhartEphant along with two new plush toys that just began shipping, Harry Hiccers and Ben KaChoo, for my kids to check out. 

Norman is the original “PhartEphant” that makes eight different ‘phart’ sounds, along with an “oops” and “sorry!”, when you squeeze his tail.  I always chuckle when I hear it, and my kids all thinks it hysterical! 

There’s a book (sold separately) that tells the story of Norman, who was adopted by a zoo, and because of a change of diet, he has a bit of a problem.  From the back cover:

Norman PhartEphant is a young African elephant adopted by a U.S. zoo and the change of diet does not sit well.  He becomes a very gassy pachyderm.  Although gassy, Norman explores his new home: intrigue and suspense build as he meets his neighbor, making a new friend, learning a bit of geography along the way. 

All four of my kids, including the “too old for stuffies” middle schoolers and high schooler, thought they were awesome—especially Norman and his unique sounds. But I wanted to give the toys and read the books to my eight year old, because she hasn’t lost her love for cuddly toys and picture books.

Emily loves all three, but I think she probably likes Harry Hiccers the best: He has an adorable accent, and as his name implies, he has a bit of an issue with hiccups. And what eight year old girl could resist the happy face of a koala?  The toys are soft and cuddly, and just the right size to carry around.

The stories teach about the animals, their geography, and they all end making new friends—a valuable lesson for a youngster who might feel shy about themselves.

  

All three animals are shipping now, and the books should be shipping soon (Norman PhartEphant is out, the other two should be out November 10).  The toys are sold at specialty retailers, so you won’t find them at the big box stores—which means your kids will have a toy that’s unique, educational, and sure to be a hit.  You can also buy them online at www.fiercefuntoys.com. 

    

  

Disclosure: I was given the toys, and galley copies of the upcoming books for this review.  All opinions are my own. I wasn’t compensated in any other way.

Take Time to Be a Dad Today

Thanks to Makes Me Wanna Holler for the links, here are the PSA's from The Fatherhood.gov. Worth watching!

Top Ten Reasons to Gear Up for Halloween

I’m not quite sure why, but Halloween is one of the biggest holidays we decorate for, get ready for, have boxes of decorations for, and seem to enjoy as a family. 

Maybe it’s that it’s been so long since a “proper” holiday, the kind that people decorate for.  Can’t recall putting up decorations for Labor Day or Columbus Day.  So the second the calendar turns to October, the boxes come out.

We have nearly as many boxes of Halloween decorations as we do Christmas decorations. And despite our recent effort to stay far, far away from the producers of “Hoarders,” we have enough to make our house look like the set for The Haunted Mansion.

We have some pretty set traditions around Halloween, that make it something that ties us all together as a family—so it’s always really pleasant and exciting for the kids. 

So for your reading pleasure, I present (in no particular order),

The Top Ten Reasons to Gear Up for Halloween

1. Visiting the Pumpkin Patch.  We haven’t gone this year yet, but we will soon.  We love picking out a few pumpkins, wandering around in the hay mazes, getting all muddy and cold and having hot apple cider before we leave. 

 

 

2. Picking apples.  We’ve only been a couple of times, but it’s something the kids enjoy.  And we eat a LOT of apples around our place.  It seems to be everyone’s favorite late night snack.  Especially Dad’s.

 

 

3. Decorating the House. Dragging the boxes from the attic and remembering all the funky stuff we’ve accumulated over the years.  The door knocker with the creepy music.  The hand that walks by itself.  The cat whose head spins around and around.  And the “Halloween Tree” that holds the Jack Skellington ornaments.  Strange how spider webs and creepy music seem to be acceptable one month of the year…

 

4. Picking out a costume.  We always plan on using our “costume box,” but usually end up buying costumes at Target or the overpriced Party store. But the joy it brings when your child get just the right costume—it’s (almost) worth the $40 for the cheap cloth and plastic that (hopefully) lasts one night.

 

 

5. Decorating Pumpkins.  Each year, the tools get better, and the pumpkins get more elaborate.  I can't wait to see what we come up with this year!

 

 

6. The “Microsoft Halloween Party.”  This year will be the first year my kids haven’t gone to the Microsoft Halloween Party.  Every building decorates, most people put candy outside their office doors, and my kids (usually accompanied by a friend) make out like bandits, filling a bag with candy.  With small offices or cubicles all offering candy, and none of the “trick-or-treat” begging, they can get 200 small candy bars in an hour or two.  Despite that, they always want to go out to the parties that happen later, and then Trick or Treating. 

 

7. Planning or attending a party with friends.  I’m not sure if it’s because trick or treating is becoming out of fashion, or that Halloween is becoming more and more social—whatever the reason, there always seems to be one or two friends who really go all out to decorate, and act as a home base for trick or treating.  We’ve been the host family, and we’ve been guests.  Either way, having a place to meet, before or after going out with the kids is a fun thing to do on Halloween night.

 

8. Visiting Haunted Houses.  They get less and less scary every year, at least that's what my kids tell me.  What is it that makes us want to be scared, puposefully?  I never really did like haunted houses, so the ones we've been to have been pretty tame. 

 

 

9. Trick or Treating. Even though this may be one of the last years for the older kids, being “pre-teens” hasn’t slowed them down in their desire to traipse around in the dark, visiting one of the popular neighborhoods with lots of houses.  

 

 

SIDEBAR: Why is is that on one night of the year, we encourage our kids to do most of the things we spend the rest of the year telling them to avoid? 

A) Going out in the night and wandering up and down the street.
B) Going to strangers houses and demanding candy (actually threatening a trick without a treat!)
C) Taking candy from strangers
D) Eating their body weight in fat and carbs

 

10. Gorging on candy for the first few days of November.  There’s always the promise that it’ll all last until Thanksgiving, but by November 3, only the hard candy at the bottom of the bag is left. 

 

 

Ah, Halloween. 

Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a blog campaign by Dad Central Consulting and they sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Star U12 Extreme Goalie Breaks Hand

Alex is a remarkable goalie.  He’s not afraid to dive right at the feet of a forward making a run for a goal.  He’s brave, and tenacious, and nearly unstoppable. 

Early in Saturday’s game, Alex had the ball in his hands, when another player continued to try to control the ball, and stepped on Alex’s hand with his full weight.  Even though he had new gloves with finger protectors, his hand was broken just under his index finger.

Despite being hurt, Alex played most of the rest of the game with a broken hand.

Recently, it’s gotten to the point where players are disregarding the safety of other players, especially the goalie.  Alex has been kicked in the head more than once, and he now wears a helmet (like the one worn by Chelsea Keeper Petr Cech). And even though Alex has control of the ball, he’s been stepped on several times by players who think it’s okay to kick the ball out of his hands.  And a dangerous play foul is rarely (if ever) called by the referees. 

   

According to the Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees, based on the FIFA rules:

When a goalkeeper has gained possession of the ball with his hands, he cannot be challenged by an opponent.

A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball:

• while the ball is between his hands or between his hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body)
• while holding the ball in his outstretched open hand
• while in the act of bouncing it on the ground or tossing it into the air

Playing in a dangerous manner

Playing in a dangerous manner is defined as any action that, while trying to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (including the player himself). It is committed with an opponent nearby and prevents the opponent from playing the ball for fear of injury.

Playing in a dangerous manner involves no physical contact between the players. If there is physical contact, the action becomes an offence punishable with a direct free kick or penalty kick. In the case of physical contact, the referee should carefully consider the high probability that misconduct has also been committed.

We're making sure this gets the attention of the referees, often inexperienced, that 11 year old players need a little more guidance when it comes to the definition of dangerous play.  For that matter, they should start with sportsmanlike conduct.

Take Time to Be a Dad Today

The NY Times today features a story about a new advertising campaign aimed at reminding fathers to be a more active part of their children’s lives.  The public service ads from the Advertising Council are a follow-up to a similar series of ads from 2008.  They have been funded by the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Family Assistance, two arms of the Department of Health and Human Services

From the NYT article:

"...The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse has found that children who live without their biological fathers are, on average, two to three times more likely to have educational and health problems, be victims of child abuse and engage in criminal behavior than peers who live with their married biological or adoptive parents.

Conversely, the group also has found that children with involved, loving fathers are far more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem and avoid high-risk behavior. Some 24 million children in the United States — one-third of the total — do not live with their biological father, according to the N.R.F.C. And nearly 20 million live in single-parent homes. "

 Nice message, good reminder for all of us that the little moments all add up. 

Is it Time to Return to Caveman Parenting?

MSNBC reports on some studies that were presented at a conference this week at a University of Notre Dame conference, that show that early human parents were more empathetic and attentive, and provided a nurturing environment with multiple caregivers, in contrast to the way some (most?) children are raised today. 

From the MSNBC article "Is it time to return to caveman parenting?"

Hunter-gatherers , the human way of life until the agricultural revolution about 8,000 years ago, were responsive caregivers, who didn’t let a baby cry it out. Moms breast-fed, probably for about five or six years. Cave kids had hours of unstructured free play, with children of all ages. And the little Pebbles and Bamm-Bamms of that Paleolithic period probably had multiple caregivers who provided nurturing and love. Cavemoms and dads didn’t spank their kids. Rather, they were the first adopters of positive touch, constantly carrying, cuddling and holding their children.

Many of our modern parenting practices are in direct opposition to our Stone Age brethren. The result: kids with a skewed sense of moral behavior, poor social skills, high rates of anxiety and depression, and a host of other ills, according to Narvaez. As one example, college kids today are about 40 percent less empathetic (a trait measured by standardized tests) compared to college students just 30 years ago, a study from the University of Michigan found.

“Humans are incredibly weak, but incredibly adaptable, and we knew we needed to create alliances to help us out,” says James McKenna, Notre Dame's Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., professor of anthropology. “Babies needed to be protected. A group of people who really care for an infant provides more protection than just mom and dad.” 

Non-structured free play improves mental health and enhances intelligence. Longer-term breast-feeding boosted the immune systems of Stone Age kids, helping to protect them from disease. And with all that affection they received, they grew into happy, well-adjusted adults, because cuddling and holding infants helps boost neurologic development."

It's no surprise that as the world gets more complicated, things are going to be different.  But this study is a good reminder that as humans, we're wired a certain way, and our kids are going to do a lot better if we realize that our instincts of holding them, protecting them, nurturing them, maybe even being a bit of a "helicopter parent" (yikes!) isn't a terrible thing. 

But then again, if our ancient ancestors had iPhones and texting and the Internet, maybe things would be a lot better today.  Or not. 

Teach Your Children (to drive) Well

The AAA Foundation wanted to see how well parents did when teaching kids with learner permits.  They put cameras on the dash of cars, and followed 50 families.  They were disappointed to find that supervised driving averaged only 2 hours a week, and only 20% of that at night, where kids need more experience. 

The foundation recommends 100 hours of supervised time, and taking time to practice in bad weather or at night. More details from the study are on the AAA site.

This clip from NBC Today shows just how important spending time teaching your kids to drive can be:

What IS a Dad Blogger Anyway?

JR, over at sexandthesingledad wrote an interesting post about Dad Bloggers.  Like a bunch of us Dad bloggers, he is—in his own inimitable way—participating in the “Do Dad Bloggers Suck?” discussion. 

I was interested in his definition of a Dad blogger.  I like the way he puts it: 

Like it or not, there is so much more to being a dad than cute stories involving our kids.  As dads, our number one priority is absolutely our families.  I respect that and would have it no other way.  There are many kinds of dads out there–and I’m talking about more than simply, “Good or bad”.  There are cool dads and their are dorky dads.  There are geek dads and dads that think “Social media” means reading the paper on a crowded subway.  There are dads that can cook a gourmet meal and dads that don’t understand,”poke three holes in the plastic before microwaving”.

The whole reason I’ve had a blog for years is that it’s a way to express my own thoughts and ideas, while participating in a conversation with people who might care about what I think.  Whether that’s you, or just my parents or friends, I’m going to call myself a Dad Blogger, because I’m a Dad, and I blog about being a Dad. 

JR goes on, in an entertaining way, to discuss the differences between Mom bloggers and Dad bloggers.  For example:

Dads who swear are crude, crass, filthy or vulgar.  Mothers who swear are liberated, modern, progressive or just have a potty mouth.  I’ve dropped an F bomb or two on my blog and I won’t apologize for that.  Hell, from time to time I even make up bad words.  Most of the time I take old classics and give them the J.R. twist, but I’ve been known to simply invent a new one for use in a particular situation.

I agree most violently with his summary statement:

Does anyone have a guitar so we can all gather like hippies and sing Kumbaya?  That would be pretty f**n sweet! [my edit]

How Dad's Involvement Makes a Difference in Your Kids' Life

National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasted an interview called Dads Do Parenting and Education on Their Terms, as part of their series, "Tell Me More." 

The audio interview by Michel Martin features Dad Bloggers Lamar Tyler (Black and Married with Kids), Keith Wilcox (Almighty Dad), and Manny Ruiz (PapiBlogger), along with father of six, Glenn Ivey, the State Attorney for Prince George County, Maryland.

They cover some interesting topics (transcript available):

• Who carries the load, Mom or Dad?
• How do you see yourself as a Father in your child’s education?
• How do you handle a split household, where your children share time with both parents?
• Do you spend enough time with your kids, when your job demands a lot?
• How do you stay involved with your kids’ lives?